They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
“We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:32-45 NIV)
If you’re a sports fan, would you rather see your team at the top or the bottom of the standings? That’s a no-brainer, right? The top! If you’re a student, would you rather be at the top or bottom of your class? The top, right? Nobody says, “I want the worst GPA in the school.” If you’re an employee, would you rather be giving orders or receiving orders? We don’t like anybody bossing us around! We look at life like a pyramid. Everyone is trying to get to the top. To climb the ladder. In sports. In school. In relationships. We want to be at the top of the pyramid. Agree?
That’s why Jesus’ disciples were astonished at Jesus. He did the opposite. Our lesson starts: “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished.” Maybe going to Jerusalem doesn’t sound like a bad thing. But the disciples knew what was waiting for Jesus in Jerusalem: People who wanted to kill him. Why would he go there? You’d think Jesus would have to be dragged kicking and screaming, like your kids when it’s time to go to the doctor. But Jesus did the opposite: He led the way. Isn’t that astonishing?
And Jesus explained why: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” Who makes that their life-long ambition? Who dreams of being arrested, condemned, mocked, spit on, flogged, and killed? Jesus. While all the leaders of his day were fighting for power or wealth or honor—to get to the top of the pyramid—Jesus was leading the way to his death on the cross. We have an upside-down Savior. Can you see that?
Especially compared with his disciples. Jesus had predicted his suffering and death—for the third time in this gospel of Mark. “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’” Doesn’t that sound so incredibly out of place? Jesus said, “I’m going to die for you.” James and John said: “Do whatever we ask.” Here was their request: “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Remember that pyramid? They wanted to be on top! Not just in this world. In heaven too!
Could they be more different than Jesus? It’s like your friend calls to say she’s hospitalized with COVID, and you say, “So can I have your car?” That was Jesus’ disciples. Not just this time. All three times that Jesus predicted his death. The 1st time: Jesus said, “I’m going to die.” Peter said, “That will never happen to you!” The 2nd time: Jesus said, “I’m going to die.” The disciples argued about which of them was the greatest. The 3rd time: Jesus said, “I’m going to die.” James and John said, “Can we have the best spots in heaven?” Could they be more different than Jesus?
Or more like us? We pastors are not immune to this. Actually, James and John were like pastors, right? Maybe we’re the worst at this. We had a pastors’ conference this week. When I sit at pastors’ conference, do you know what the devil whispers in my ear: “I can preach better than that guy is. Why is he up there?” “I know more about this than he does. Why is he presenting?” “I could do his job way better than he can. Why does he get that position?” What am I really saying? “Jesus, if there are two seats next to you in heaven, one of those better be for me!”
Maybe you can have the other one. Because you want it too, right? Whom are you trying to catch? Where are you trying to climb to? Whose recognition are you craving? The devil is constantly whispering in your ear: “If you want to be somebody, you’ve got to move up. You’ve got to fight to get to the top.” James and John put into words the sinful selfishness that lives in every one of our hearts. “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
Here’s what’s surprising: Jesus didn’t say, “No.” Instead, he said, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” Jesus said, “It’s not wrong for you to want to be great, but you have to flip your idea of greatness upside-down. If you want to be great, you need to drink my cup.” What’s that? Remember when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane? He prayed, “Father, take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). What “cup” was Jesus talking about? His death. So if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, you need to be ready to suffer. To die.
And James and John boldly said, “We can.” So Jesus said, “You will. You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” James and John didn’t know what they were talking about. But Jesus did. Do you know what cup James later had to drink? He was beheaded (Acts 12:2). Do you know what cup John later had to drink? He was exiled to an island (Revelation 1:9). Little did they know, they were going to suffer like Jesus did. But those spots in heaven? They weren’t for Jesus to give out. That’s God the Father’s job.
Problem solved, right? No. “When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.” The rest of the disciples got angry. Why? They wanted the top spots in heaven too! So Jesus called them all together. This was important! He said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” Here’s how the world works: If you get in the right position, if you have enough wealth, if you control enough people, then you are great. That’s how it works in the world.
But Jesus said, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” The world thinks greatness is getting to the top. But not so with you! Be a servant. The world thinks you’ve got to be first. But not so with you! Be the slave of all. Doesn’t that sound downright wrong? That’s because God’s way is so different than our way. We have to understand this to understand Jesus. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus takes that pyramid that we’re always trying to get to the top of, and he flips it upside-down. Instead of putting himself at the top, Jesus put himself at the bottom. He gave his life as the ransom—as the payment—for all of our sins. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). God’s way is so different, but it is so much better! You don’t get forgiven by working your way to the top. You are forgiven by Jesus, because he took your sins to the cross and died for you. You don’t get loved by how important you are. You are important because of how much Jesus loves you. It’s all by grace.
In other words, Jesus is like Billy Joel. Did you know that? Billy Joel never sells tickets to the front row for any of his concerts. Instead, he leaves those seats empty. That’s because Billy Joel got tired of bored, rich people staring at him from the front row. So when the concert starts, so he sends his crew to bring fans sitting in the worst seats in the back up to those empty seats in the front. Those fans cheer so loud! Isn’t that like Jesus? He doesn’t sell tickets to heaven to the highest bidder. He gives them to those who don’t deserve it, all by his grace. He pulls you up to the front. How could you not be beaming? “Me? Jesus did that for me? Yes, he did it for you!”
On the campus of our Seminary, there is a statue of Martin Luther. It’s carved with this saying: “Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness. I am your sin. You became what you were not to make me what I was not.” “You became what you were not to make me what I was not.” Jesus—the Lord!—made himself a servant and bore the sins of all. So that sinners like you and me could become the children of God. “You became what you were not to make me what I was not.” “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Here’s the irony: Who is the most influential person in world history? Jesus. Even people who don’t believe in Jesus have to admit that. There is no one who has impacted the world like Jesus. By doing what? By putting himself on the bottom. By suffering and dying and rising to save us. A couple years ago, I started a blog for my sermons and devotions. I wanted to name it after Jesus. So I called it “Upside-Down Savior.” That’s who Jesus is. Our upside-down Savior!
There is probably no one who understood this as well as the apostle Paul. Paul knew what it was like to be at the top. He had been a Pharisee of Pharisees. The best of the best. But he lost all of that for the sake of Jesus. And what he found in Jesus was better. Paul understood grace. That’s what led him to write: “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19). That’s the Christian’s attitude. “I am free. I am free in Jesus from sin and death and hell. So here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to make “myself a slave to everyone, to win as many people as possible” for Jesus.
Do you see what that means? If you’re a Christian, things are upside-down. You don’t have to fight to get to the top. Jesus has already made you the child of God. He’s already given you a front-row seat in heaven. You don’t have to live for you. Jesus already did! Take a deep breathe. Ahh! Then look to see whom God has placed into your life to serve. You might need to look down. Look down at the people you usually don’t associate with. Look at the people you foolishly think are below you. Put yourself at the bottom. That’s what Jesus did. “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
There once was a man who was used to being served. His name was John Newton. Have you heard of him? He was a slave trader a few hundred years ago. He was known as a hard-driving master. But there was something strange: Even though he was on top, he felt empty. Until Jesus found him. Until Jesus served him. Until he saw God’s grace and forgiveness. Jesus changed his perspective. Jesus changed his life. He gave up the slave trade. He repented of his sins. And he wrote a song. Do you know what’s it’s called? Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” “Whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all,” like our upside-down Savior.
Comments